101 Potter Nights: Aladdin (Once Upon A Fandom)
by VoidRomeo
Summary: "Are you my master?" he asked, his voice sending a shiver down Harry's spine. "I-um, no?" Harry offered. Aladdin!


It was a cold, dark night in Godrick's Hollow. The wind picked up as the man moved restlessly, standing in front of a gnarled, old willow. The moon was hidden by the clouds and all that was visible was the large turban on the man's head. A howl came from the woods in front of him, and the man flinched. He wished the lanterns were working.

Then, another man appeared out of nowhere, a small, hunched over man, running across the field towards the man in the turban.

"You're late." The man in the turban spoke, his voice low and cold, his face still hidden.

"A-Apologies master." The small man bowed down until his long nose touched the floor.

"No matter, Wormtail," the man in the turban waved the man off, "you're here now, with the wand I assume?"

"Y-Yes, master!" Wormtail trembled like a leaf. He stuffed his hand into the fanny pack hanging at his fat hip, and dug out a long, dark stick. He bowed again, offering it to the man in the turban. The man snatched it up and his eyes shone greedily, the only think visible from his covered face.

"Yeeeeesssss…" he hissed, "We can now begin." The man proceeded to hiss something in an unknown language, wand pointing at the willow, as Wormtail stood beside him, watching the forest fearfully. The trees bent and wobbled in the wind, as if pulling away from the man muttering a curse. Then the tree in front of them groaned and came to life, swinging its branches around, warding people off, threatening to hit, maim or kill. Wormtail stepped backwards.

A slithering sound came from somewhere in the dark, and Wormtail pushed closer to the man in the turban, seeking protection. A sliver of the moon glided out from behind a cloud, illuminating the monster that moved out of the tree.

It was a massive snake, bigger than a house, with teeth the size of Wormtail's arm and…

"Don't look it in the eyes." The man in the turban commanded, and Wormtail's gaze automatically dropped to his feet. He was sweating, hands shaking with fear, "and remember to bring me the stone."

 _Who disturbssss my ssssslumber?_

The snake hissed, tounge flickering to lick at the grass. Wormtail glanced at the man in the turban, and his master nodded at him.

"P-Peter Pettigrew." Wormtail whispered, fearfully.

 _Know this. Only one may enter here. One whose worth lies far within. A diamond in the rough!_

The snakes jaw relaxed, and opened wide. The two men could see slippery steps lining its throat, made of stone as if the Snake was not really alive. Wormtail gulped and looked at the man in the turban pleadingly.

"What are you waiting for?" His master rasped, "go and I shall reward you with what you want most."

Wormtail unconsciously cradled the stump of one of his hands to his chest.

"Yes master," he nodded and turned towards the Snake. Tentatively, Wormtail stepped forward. The Snake didn't move as the man neared it. When he was at the entrance, Wormtail froze, and looked inside the monsters mouth. The walls were glittering with gemstones and they made Wormtail's eyes light up. Slowly, he placed one foot on the first step, and squeezed his eyes shut. Nothing happened, the Snake didn't even flinch.

"Go on fool!" The man in the turban yelled behind him. Wormtail nodded and then stepped inside. As soon as his other foot touched the ground, the Snake let out a horrible hiss. Wormtail whirled around, gave his master a terrified look, and started forward.

The Snake's mouth snapped shut and Wormtail's scream was lost. The man in the turban didn't blink as he watched the snake slither back inside the tree.

 _Seek thee out, the diamond in the rough._

Harry Potter was homeless, a street rat. His parents have been street rats before him, and his grandparents before them. When Harry was seven his parents both died. At the time, Harry had no idea what actually happened to them; one day they just disappeared. Since then he'd been alone, until he met Hermione Granger – his best friend. Hermione was poor, just like Harry, but she worked in a little coffee shop as an assistant, and always had some clean clothes and change for her and Harry, so the police wouldn't question why two nineteen years olds lived on the streets. She didn't earn very much, and nearly always gave the money away to an orphanage or some homeless children on the streets. Harry managed to get his own place, and he took Hermione in.

It wasn't much, just an abandoned room, dirty and old in a massive warehouse on the outskirts of Godrick's Hollow. It had a straw mattress in the corner and a dirty cloth over the window to shield from the rain, wind and sun, no running water or central heating. Harry loved the place for one reason – it had the greatest view. At night, Hogsmead lit up with millions of candles, and the Hogwarts castle at the side of the mountain shone brightly like a star. Harry would often sit in his window, legs dangling in the air, staring at the castle ahead of him, dreaming about it, whenever he was cold or hungry or both. He knew that this was better than any 'community flat,' at least here he could actually _see_ the world. Or at least a part of it.

Hermione walked down the busy road, her cloak pulled tightly around her. She was leaning over, as if she was an old woman, and took shaky, uneven steps. When she reached the cake sale stand she let out a croaked, well-practiced gasp and tripped, crumbling to the ground. Immediately the scouts jumped to her rescue, asking her if she was alright. Hermione clutched the young girl's arms, thanking him over and over, shielding her face from their gazes. She always felt guilty doing this.

Unseen, Harry stood on the roof nearby. He carefully flipped himself so he was hanging upside down, and then reached for the freshly baked cookies and cupcakes and muffins. He had one in each hand, and several in his pockets, when the man taking care of the scout girls turned around.

"Hey!" he shouted, but Harry had already pulled himself up, "Oi! You! Come back here!" the sales man yelled, starting after Harry, but Hermione stuck her foot out, and the man tumbled to the ground. She threw off her heavy cloak and then gave herself a running start. She ran straight for the wall of a house, ran two steps up the bricks, and then let herself be pulled to the roof of the cake stand by Harry.

"Come back here you gutter punks!" the man yelled. People were beginning to collect by his stand, and a group of guards, or Snatchers, as Harry and Hermione called them, came round a corner.

"Oh-oh," Harry said, "Off we go."

The two of them saluted the people below them mockingly, and then gracefully pulled themselves up onto the closest roof. The wild chase began, with the Snatchers yelling insults, and Harry and Hermione laughing their heads off.

"Stop you thieves!" a dozen police officers were chasing the two teens now.

"All this for a couple of cakes?" Harry asked, breathlessly. Hermione just giggled in reply. Somehow, four guards have made it onto the roofs with Harry and Hermione, and were now got on their heels, racing across the roofs of China Town.

"Washing lines!" Hermione panted out. Harry nodded, and they swerved to the left, each grabbing a cloak that was drying out in the sun. Harry and Hermione slid down the washing line, the women underneath them screaming at them angrily. They made it back down to street level, leaving the guards officers folded on the roof, clothes falling down all around them, too stunned to pull out guns.

Harry and Hermione clinked two cupcakes together, and were about to dig in, when the remaining Snatchers rounded a corner.

"There they are!"

"You won't get away that easy!"

"They think that was easy!?" Hermione asked, as she and Harry began running again, rolling their eyes. They grabbed two sheets as they went and wrapped them around themselves as a disguise. They made it over to a few prostitutes hanging around outside the brothel.

"Hello ladies!" Harry winked. The girls rolled their eyes,

"Getting in trouble this early?" Lavender asked, as Cho snickered.

"You're only in trouble if you get caught," Harry pointed out. Two strong hands hauled Harry and Hermione backwards, causing their sheets to fall off. The two exchanged panicked looks.

"We're in trouble!" they said in unison. Hermione turned round and kneed the guard in the crotch. The Snatcher's hands went down to cradle his injured manhood as he cried out. Hermione grabbed Harry's wrist and together they ran into the brothel.

They were on the second level when Seamus, the owner of the brothel, peered round the corner.

"Looking for a job, 'Mione?" he asked sultrily.

"No thanks," Hermione ran past him. Harry pulled himself up onto the windowsill of the closest window,

"Catch you later Seamus!" he called. The brothel owner waved at them as the two thieves disappeared out of the window. They landed in a shady alleyway and after a few more minutes of running, they realized they were no longer being followed.

The two collapsed against a wall, laughing. They took out their cupcakes and were about to enjoy the meal, when they saw two young boys sitting in the corner. They had hollow cheeks and ashy skin. Their eyes eyed the bread hungrily, but the two didn't say anything. Hermione and Harry exchanged a look.

"I wasn't hungry anyway," Harry offered. Hermione nodded and the two got up and walked over to the kids.

"What are your names?" Hermione asked, kneeling down next to them.

"Colin and Dennis." The older boy whispered. Hermione pushed all the cupcakes Harry stole into their arms,

"Here, eat them," she said warmly. The boys looked at her in disbelief.

"Go on then," Harry said, grinning. The two boys dug in happily, like starved animals, spreading icing and chocolate chips all over their faces. Hermione got to her feet, dusted her hands off, and then linked Harry's arm. They walked into the sunshine, and were surprised when they saw a parade on the street. Unicorns and large hound dogs walked down, dozens of servants keeping them at bay. At the front rode majestic horses, a few fast cars, airplanes in the sky rained colour over the large crowd that gathered.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Another suitor for the young duchess," Hermione guessed. The two little boys that Harry and Hermione gave their bread to, ran out into the street, giggling. The parade halted as a horse almost ran the two boys over.

"Hey! Little brats!" the rider drew his whip, pointing it at the boys. The older one stepped in front of the younger one, but he still looked tiny and defenceless, "I'll teach you a lesson!"

Before anyone could stop him, Harry ran into the road, grabbed the two boys and pulled them back, out of the reach of the whip. The man's eyes snapped to the thief,

"What do you think you're doing, gutter punk!?" he bellowed. Harry glared at him,

"If I was as rich as you, I would be able to afford some manners." He said confidently. Hermione gave him a horrified look, "and by the way, child abuse is illegal in the country, mate."

"You…" the man seethed, and then he raised his whip and struck Harry across the cheek. Harry felt a sting on his skin as he was thrown back. Hermione caught him before he hit the ground, "That's where you thieves belong. On the ground," the man said. Harry's eyes sparkled with angry energy, and he spat at the man. It hit him square in the face.

"Shit." Hermione swore, grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled him backwards. They ran again and the man yelled after them,

"You are a worthless thief. You were born a thief, you'll die a thief, and only your fleas will mourn you!"

Quirrel stood with his back to a bowl filled with churning water, his turban laying on the floor. At the back of his head was a hideous face. It was pale and nose – less, with eyes like a snake, the skin wrinkled like an old mans, hard as a marble.

The face hissed, "Ah, waters of time, reveal to me the one who can enter the cave." The water whirled in the bowl and a weird silvery mist circled amongst the waves. It formed a picture of a simple beggar, with messy black hair and sparkling green eyes, sitting at a window. The Dark Lord's face lit up, "We've got him! Our diamond in the rough!"

Quirrel whirled round to see for himself,

"That's him?!" he demanded, outraged, "that's who we've been looking for all these years?!" The Dark Lord ignored him,

"Let us send him an extended…invitation, to Hogwarts, shall we?"

Harry sat at his window again, stomach churning with hunger. Hermione was sleeping silently in the corner. A soft breeze picked up off the streets and it ruffled Harry's hair. He rested his chin on his knees and gazed out at the glimmering lights below him. Everyone was right – he was a beggar, and he would die a beggar.

Harry look at Hermione in the corner, just a dark lump, rising and falling. He smiled gently. Out of everyone she was the only one who cared about him, and she was like a sister to him. He wished he could give her a better life.

With a deep sigh, Harry swung his legs back inside the room, pushing the make shift curtain closed. He quietly walked over to the sleeping Hermione, and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Someday," he promised, "We'll be rich and we'll live in a palace. And all of our problems will disappear."

Harry grabbed his ratty covers and wrapped them around himself like a cocoon. He plopped down on the hard, cold ground and closed his eyes. Immediately he fell asleep.

It was a brand new day, and once again the sole purpose of Harry's and Hermione's day was finding food. Their stomach's rumbled with hunger, and demanded to be satisfied. So Hermione borrowed some clothes from Seamus' brothel, and now was well into performing an exotic dance in the middle of the street, attracting all kinds of attention.

Harry causally sauntered over to the abandoned fruit stand and plucked a few apples from the plastic bowls. He pushed them into his abnormally deep pockets, and then continued on his way, as Hermione gathered up her act. The two left, with clapping still echoing behind them.

They climbed onto the roof of a pub called _The Three Broomsticks_ that was closed for a day, and watched life go on below them, while munching on their stolen fruit. They sat in silence, when suddenly Hermione spotted something. She bumped her shoulder against Harry's,

"Hey look," she pointed down below them, where a slight figure was pushing itself against the tide of the crowd, looking awkward and out of place, "a new comer."

The two watched as the person bumped into various villagers, muttering 'sorry's' and 'excuse me's.' Suddenly its hood was thrown off, to reveal sparkling blue eyes and fiery red hair. The girls eyes widened and then she hastily pulled the hood back up. Harry stared, because the girl was absolutely stunning, with that flowy hair and the eyes as blue as the sky on a summer day and…

"Oi, Harry." Hermione snapped her fingers in front of Harry's eyes, "wake up."

"She was so beautiful," Harry said dreamily. Hermione groaned,

"Are you stupid?!" she hissed, "or just blind?"

"What, you didn't think she was beautiful?" Harry asked, surprised. Hermione smacked him upside the head,

"No, you idiot. That's the king's daughter," she explained. Harry blinked at her,

"What?" he asked stupidly.

"Have you never been to parades? The king has seven children, six boys and a girl, all with red hair and-"

"Yes, Mione," Harry waved her off, "I know, I know. Are you sure it was her?"

"Of course I'm sure," Hermione scoffed, she leaned forward, observing the girl.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Harry asked, "Do you know how much we could earn for getting her back safely to Hogwarts?!"

"You're right!" Hermione's eyes sparkled, and without another word the two slipped down the roof, and onto the street. They followed the cloaked figure for a while, keeping their distance, but staying close enough so that they could easily catch the princess if she wanted to run. The girl occasionally stopped at stands, to inspect the things on display.

"What is she doing outside the castle walls?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged, eyes glued to the back of the princess' cloak, eyes twinkling. Hermione ignored the urge to face palm – they they go again. Harry Potter had the unfortunate habit of falling in love with people who were…well, unfortunate. He seemed well on his way to fancying the princess, and before that it was one of Seamus' whores, Cho.

The princess came to a stop at a fruit stand and examined the food on offer.

"Oh-oh." Hermione muttered as she and Harry neared her. The girl reached for a juicy green apple and bit into it, letting out a satisfied noise. She turned on her heel, to walk away, but was stopped by the burly form of the owner of the stand.

"You have to pay for that!" the man said in a deep, rumbling voice. He wore purple robes and a hat on top of his bald head. The princess had to crane her head to look at the man,

"I don't have any money," she said apologetically. The man frowned at her,

"Why would you take something if your cannot pay for the food?!" he rumbled. The girl flinched,

"Please sir, if you just let me go back to the palace, the king is my father and-" she started, but the owner grasped her wrist roughly,

"THIEF!" he bellowed. At that precise moment Hermione and Harry came to a stop in front of him,

"Excuse our poor sister!" Hermione improvised, grabbing Ginny's shoulders and pulling her backwards, out of the reach of the man who was now glaring at them.

"Yes, she was hit with a curse as a child," Harry said, "she's a bit crazy."

"She said she knows the king," the man said gruffly. Hermione panicked – if anybody found out that this was a princess then they wouldn't get a reward…

"She thinks he's the king," she blurted, pointing at Harry. She gave the princess a pointed look, and the girl threw herself to the ground and began bowing in front of Harry,

"Oh your lordship your greatness is truly outstanding!" she praised, and Harry had to admit that she did look a bit crazy.

"Sorry," he muttered to the owner as he and Hermione grabbed the princess' hands and pulled her up and away from the stand. The girl gave them confused looks, and then a pear fell out of Harry's pockets, which were bulging. The stand owner's eyes widened,

"Thieves!" he yelled, "get back here!"

But Harry, Hermione and the princess were already sprinting through the streets, ducking into alleyways. This was a familiar routine for the two thieves, but the princess was soon out of breath.

"Where are we going?" she demanded, as Harry and Hermione pulled her along, "Who are you?!"

"Just run," Hermione commanded through gritted teeth. The princess clamped her lips together and the trio sped through the streets. Eventually they made it to Harry's loft, and they collapsed against the walls, catching their breaths.

"Successful morning, don't you think 'Mione?" Harry asked, face flushed from the run. Hermione hummed in agreement when Harry chucked her an apple. She bit into it happily. The princess gave the two a weird look,

"I-um," she spoke, "thank you. For saving me."

"No problem," Harry grinned at her, and she threw off her hood. Once again, Harry was struck by her beauty, "So this was your first time in Diagon Alley?"

The princess winced,

"Yes, was it that obvious?"

"You kind of stood out," Hermione commented, chucking the core of her apple into the air, "you know with your hair and all."

The princess blushed and reached for her hood,

"No!" Harry exclaimed, a bit too fast. Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "I mean, we know who you are."

"Ginevra Molly Weasley," Hermione recited, "the youngest child and only daughter of the king and queen of Godrick's Hollow."

"Beautiful," Harry whispered. Both the girls looked up at him, and the boy blushed, "I-erm, I mean…"

"Anyway, Ginevra," Hermione saved him further embarrassment, "we saw you in the market place and we had to swoop in and save you."

"Thank you, again," the princess said sincerely, "and please, call me Ginny."

"Ginny." Harry said dreamily, "nice name."

"Thanks," Ginny shrugged, eyes twinkling, "and you are…"

"Harry," Harry introduced himself, "and that's Hermione." Hermione waved.

"So…are you two like, together?" Ginny asked.

"No!" Harry pulled a face,

"Oh Merlin no," Hermione pretended to gag. Ginny grinned easily, and Harry smiled back. Hermione glanced between the two,

"Right," she got up and dusted herself off, "I promised to help…Luna, with something…I'll, um, be back later."

Hermione flounced out of the loft, leaving Harry and Ginny together.

"So is this where you live?" Ginny asked after a moment, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah," Harry cleared his throat, "just me and 'Mione. We're like free birds, you see, we come and go as we please." Ginny stared at him as if it was the best thing ever, "It's not much," Harry shrugged, "but it's got a great view," he pulled back the ratty curtain covering the hole in the wall that was a pathetic excuse for a window. The sunshine was glimmering off the windows of Hogwarts not far off, "your castle looks amazing from here."

"Yeah," Ginny agreed, but she suddenly seemed sad. Harry frowned,

"So what are you doing so far away from home anyway?"

"Rebellious stage I guess," Ginny shrugged, but Harry acted as if he hadn't heard her. His bright green eyes were glazed over as he watched the castle looming in the distance,

"I wonder what it would be like," he mused, "to have servants to everything for you, to never go hungry. To sleep in luscious beds and wear fine clothes…"

"It's not that wonderful really," Ginny rolled her eyes, "people command your entire life."

"It's better than here," Harry snorted, sitting sideways on the windowsill, staring at Hogwarts, "sometimes I feel like there's no end to this life, like I'm trapped."

Ginny gave him a sad look,

"I know how you feel," she said quietly. The two lapsed into silence, looking at each other. Ginny smiled at Harry, and he was about to smile back when he remembered that _he was just a street rat and she was a princess._

Harry looked away and pulled an apple from his abnormally large pockets. He tossed it to Ginny,

"So where are you from?" the princess inquired, rolling the fruit in her hands. Harry shrugged,

"It doesn't matter," he said. Ginny got up off the dusty floor and sat down next to Harry, their shoulders touching.

"My parents forcing me to get married," she said hollowly. Harry's head snapped up and he looked at Ginny,

"That's horrible," he admitted. Ginny laughed humourlessly,

"Bill's married to Fleur and they have an alliance with Beauxbatons," she said, "Charlie has his dragons, so they don't pester him. Percy's with Audrey, George is engaged to Angelina, nobody's bothering with what Fred does. Ron's as free as a bird…," Ginny sighed, "and then there's me…the only daughter of the Weasleys. They're insisting that I get married soon."

"Well do you want to?" Harry asked, forgetting himself and reaching for Ginny's hand. He intertwined their fingers and she smiled at him gratefully,

"No." She admitted, "Last night another suitor visited. Dean Thomas," she pulled a face, "he didn't last long."

"Oh." Harry said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, "you know the market place is a dangerous place, you could've died."

Ginny just shrugged, glaring at the Hogwarts castle in the distance. Suddenly she turned to Harry and smirked,

"I bet my parents would be really angry," she said, leaning towards Harry, looking at his lips, "if I was to fall for," Harry leaned towards her, heart beating fast, "a street rat." The name pierced Harry, and he pulled back. Ginny gave him a confused look and opened her mouth to say something, but just then a whole bunch of Snatchers poured into the loft.

"There he is!" one yelled, pointing his wand at Harry, "he kidnapped the princess!"

Harry stood up on the windowsill and pulled Ginny up with him.

"Do you trust me?" he asked. She stared at him,

"I-um…"

" _Ginny_."

The girl hesitated, and Harry groaned. Without waiting for her permission he threw himself backwards, leaving the girl on the windowsill. Nothing would happen to her anyway – the Snatchers were there to take her back to her little perfect home…

Harry landed on a hammock that his neighbours put out in case he had to escape quickly. The material cushioned his fall, and Harry saw Ginny, staring down at him from his window, for two seconds before he was being pulled up.

He came face to face with the hideous mask of a Snatcher,

"There you are street rat," the man chuckled, and the there were handcuffs smacked over Harry's wrists. He was glad that Hermione was out.

"No!" Ginny yelled from the window, "let him go! I command you to let him go!"

But the Snatchers ignored her and soon Harry was being dragged away.

Harry was cold. He watched miserably as the water dripped from the ceiling of his cell. There were no clocks in the room, to indicate how much time Harry has been sitting in that room for, but his back ached and he was soaked through from the little trickles of water running down the walls and disappearing in the drains.

As far as he could tell, Harry was the only one in the spacious cell, and there were no exits or entrances, except the little barred window near the ceiling, that let in little light.

Harry cursed himself for trusting Ginny. He was stupid, taking her to his home instead of the palace. Now he was being accused of many weird things – such as terrorism, kidnap and murder, which he didn't commit. A pretty face was all it took, and now Harry was here, awaiting his sentence. He wished he could communicate with Hermione, but he had no idea where she was. At least she was safe.

The boy let his eyes fall shut as he leaned his head against the wall. He just wanted to go to sleep.

"I'm so stupid," Harry whispered to himself, but his voice echoed off the walls.

"You're only stupid if you give up, boy," a voice answered. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Who's here?!" he demanded, getting up. An old man shuffled out from behind a column. He had white hair like clouds and a wild look in his eyes.

"Harry Potter, my boy," he croaked, "I knew your parents."

Harry blinked at him,

"You did?" he asked. The old man nodded,

"My name is Ollivander and I am here to help you," he said.

"How?" Harry asked.

"There is a cave, boy. Filled with gold and diamonds, the treasure of a thousand thieves. Treasure enough to impress even your princess," the man smiled eerily. Harry looked at him in disbelief, imagining what it would be like if he had enough money to marry Ginny, to see her in a gorgeous white dress and to be able to kiss her and…

"No," he said, breaking out of his daydream, "no, you know the law. Only a prince can marry a princess."

Suddenly Ollivander was right by Harry, leaning down to whisper in his ear,

"Whoever has the gold makes the rules," the old man hissed, a cold breeze picking up. Harry stepped away from him, looking suspicious.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Only an old wand maker," Ollivander said innocently, "searching for someone with young, strong, hands to help me open the cave."

"Why would you share the treasure with me?" Harry asked,

"I only want one thing," Ollivander croaked, "an old stone. That's all I want, and you can have the rest."

"Okay," Harry relaxed slightly, "say I'd help you get to this…cave. There's still a problem – we're stuck in here."

"Not everything is as it seems," Ollivander hissed, and pressed a brick on the wall. A groaning sound filled the cell and a door appeared in the wall, a hollow black hole, where a cold wind came from.

"After you," Harry smirked.

After many turns in a cold corridor not unlike the cell, Ollivander and Harry came up onto the grassy field, on the other side of Hogwarts. The castle gleamed close by, and behind it was Godrick's Hollow, a shining city.

"Wow," Harry breathed.

"Here boy," Ollivander motioned at him, and the two stood in front of an oak. Ollivander opened his mouth and whispered in a breathy, hissy kind of way. Harry could understand him.

" _Spirit of the Cave of Wonders, shine your greatness upon us and let thy diamond in the rough enter and take what is rightfully his."_

Out of nowhere, a massive snake appeared. Harry yelped and stepped back, but the snake ignored him, simply opening its jaw wide, and freezing. Harry could see steps down its throat.

"What the-" Harry started, heart beating wildly.

"You must go, boy," Ollivander said, pushing the boy forward. Harry stumbled, but caught himself before he fell into the gaping mouth of the snake. He turned around to look at Ollivander, "go!" the old man demanded, "go and bring me back a stone, but don't touch anything else. Then, and only then, will all the riches be yours."

Harry took a deep breath, and then stepped forward. Nothing happened, when he placed both feet on the first stone step, so taking that as an 'okay,' Harry began descending the staircase.

Candles came to life all around him, hovering near the ceiling, and Harry gasped, as the walls sparkled with tiny pieces of gold embedded in the walls. He walked down the steps, looking around in awe. Soon he was standing in an enormous cave, filled with reaches. Gold, silver, diamonds, silk clothing and crowns decorated the floor up to the ceiling. Harry felt dizzy as he saw all the treasure, only a handful would make him the richest man in all of Godrick's Hollow. He imagined coming home with his pockets stuffed full of gold. He'd be able to get himself a proper house, and a house for Hermione too. He could buy food for all the poor children in the streets…

Without even realizing it, Harry had been reaching for a necklace of pearls, but then something weird happened. One of the gorgeous, dark red carpets sprung to life, unrolling itself, and smacking Harry's hand away. The boy stumbled backwards, eyes wide as the carpet blocked the pearls from view. Harry watched, mesmerized, as the carpet motioned at the other end of the room. Harry looked up and saw a simple, grey stone sitting alone on a little rise.

"Is that it?" Harry asked sceptically. The carpet nodded at him, "okay let's go get it then."

The boy walked down the empty space that ran down the length of the whole room, ignoring the riches that caught his eye left and right. He fixated his gaze on the stone, and walked with purpose. Harry climbed the three steps that led to the landing and then grabbed the stone. It felt warm to touch, as if someone held it for a long time. The boy didn't bother looking at it, as he stuffed it into one of his big pockets. Harry walked back the way he came, and waved at the carpet, who waved back.

He was soon climbing the stairs again, feeling intrigued about what the stone could do, already forgetting about the riches he saw downstairs. Ollivander came into view, eyes sparkling.

"Did you get it?" the old man asked.

"Yeah!" Harry called, a smile on his face. He climbed out of the cave, which was now warm with light, and dug into his pocket. Ollivander's eyes followed his movements greedily, and he snatched the stone away from Harry as soon as he saw it.

"At last!" the man grinned.

"Do I get my reward now?" Harry asked. Ollivander turned to him, smiling wickedly.

"Yes, boy!" His eyes blazed red and then he grabbed Harry's shirt with surprising strength, dragging him back to the cave opening.

"Wait! Wait!" Harry dug his heels into the grass, "What are you doing?!"

"Your reward?!" Ollivander snorted, "like I'd share my treasure with you!"

Harry began to panic, he tried to rip himself away from Ollivander's grip, but it was no use, the man was too strong. Soon, the man had Harry dangling over the stone steps of the cave, cackling madly.

"Goodbye, diamond in the rough," the man hissed. In his last effort to get free, Harry slashed at Ollivander's arm with the knife in his back pocket, causing the man to shriek and open his hands, letting Harry go, "You piece of shit!" Ollivander screamed. He pulled a piece of gold from the walls of the cave and when he wasn't looking, Harry grabbed his stone and stuffed it in his pocket.

The cave groaned, and Ollivander thrust his hand forward, pushing Harry into the cave. The boy yelled as he was thrown backwards, sailing down at an impossible speed, the stone digging into his hip. The opening above him disappeared as the cave closed, the stairs turning to solid rock.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, sure that he was about to become a bloody pulp on the floor below him, when the carpet appeared out of nowhere and swooped Harry up.

"Carpet!" Harry exclaimed, relief flooding him. The carpet gave him a little wave and the safely landed him in the empty aisle amongst the two walls of riches. Harry sat down and took a deep breath, thanking Merlin for not dying. The boy looked around, searching for an exit, but the only one was now sealed. Desperate, Harry collapsed on the floor. He didn't know what to do, how to go home…it seemed his fate would be to rot here for all eternity, or die from the lack of food and water. A very slow and painful death. Harry felt like crying – how did he get himself into this mess!? Goddamn him and his greediness.

Harry thought of Hermione, how was she holding up? The two of them grew up prepared for death at any second, but Harry doubted that either of them could've survived so long before the other. How was 'Mione going to steal food? How was she going to survive? She was a strong girl, but was she strong _enough_?

And then there was Ginny. The wonderful Ginny that he only met today but he thought, no he _knew_ , that it was love. For her, he was ready to do anything to become rich and powerful, to become a prince, just so he could marry her. Harry thought of her gorgeous blue eyes and the way her fiery hair peeked out from underneath her hood. He thought of her delicate hands and the dusting of freckles at the back of her knuckles. Harry wanted to get out of the cave, and see her again. And again, and again. He wanted to wake up next to her and weave his dreams with her.

But he was stuck here, in this cave, tricked by an old man to starve to his death. The carpet flew over to Harry and brushed a piece of his hair out of his eyes, as if to comfort him. Harry smiled at it weakly,

"Thanks." He said hoarsely. The carpet patted his pocket, and Harry frowned, "What is it?" he asked, digging into it. He felt around for a second, around a short piece of rope and an apple core, until his fingers were gripping the warm stone. It seemed to pulse in his hand, like a heartbeat.

Harry pulled the stone out and stared at it. It was tiny, laying there in the centre of Harry's palm, gleaming black. There was something drawn on the inside, but because of the fine layer of dust on top of the stone, Harry couldn't read it. Without really thinking about it, the boy rubbed the surface of the stone, trying to get the grime off.

The stone suddenly flickered gold and flew upwards from Harry's palm, spinning in the air rapidly. From experience, Harry knew that something that flew meant bad news. Like arrows. So he go up and started backing away. But then the stone turned black again, and fell to the floor. A silvery mist came out of it, slithering around Harry's ankles like a caress, and a smoky form rose from the stone. It looked like a human, and then all the mist was sucked into the form, and just like that there was a boy standing in front of Harry.

He had milky pale skin, and silver eyes like the mist. His white blonde hair was tousled as if he just woke up, and his lean torso was bare, save for a black waistcoat that matched his trousers. His feet were bare, and the stone was now a pendant around his slender neck.

Harry gaped at the gorgeous boy, who's soft, sleepy features suddenly sharpened. Those piercing silver eyes focused on Harry, darkening with anger. The boy clenched his jaw,

"Are you my master?" he asked, his voice sending a shiver down Harry's spine.

"I-um, no?" Harry offered, confused. The boy looked at him in disbelief, and crossed his arms over his chest,

"So you didn't rub the stone?" he asked sceptically. Harry's eyes were still glued to the boy's eyes,

"Huh?" he asked dumbly. The boy sighed in annoyance,

"The stone!" he pointed to his throat, where the stone gleamed, "did you rub it? Ay or nay?"

"Y-Yeah, I rubbed the stone," Harry said. The boy rolled his eyes,

"Great," he said sarcastically, "so what can I do for you today, _master_?"

Harry just stared at him. He was incredibly confused.

"Who…who are you?" he inquired. The boy sighed.

"I'm a genie," he said like it was obvious,

"My name is Harry," Harry grinned, "Harry Potter."

"That's nice, Potter, now tell me your wishes so I can go back to sleep," the boy wrinkled his nose, which Harry couldn't help but find cute. The dark haired boy suddenly scolded himself, _you can't think that! You're in love with Ginny, remember! Also this genie guy is a boy, and you don't like boys!_

"S-So," Harry cleared his head, "what exactly do you do…Genie?"

"I can make three wishes come true," Genie held up three fingers as if Harry was slow,

"Any three wishes?" Harry asked.

"Well," Genie shrugged, "there are some rules. I can't force anyone to fall in love with you," he put down one finger, "I can't bring back people from the dead," another finger down, "and I can't kill anyone for you." Genie put the final finger down, "but except for that I can do pretty much anything."

Harry's eyes widened – three wishes! Any three wishes! He could get a house for himself and 'Mione, he could get rid of poverty and murder…or he could make himself a prince and marry Ginny. The possibilities were endless! But Harry was a thief and a compulsive liar, and naturally he wanted to cheat to get more wishes. With a confident smirk, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I bet you that you can't do anything," he said. Genie gawked at him, and then gasped, outraged.

"How dare you! I am an all-powerful Genie! I can do anything!"

"I bet you can't get me out of this cave," Harry said nonchalantly, examining his nails. Genie smirked,

"Watch me," he said. He clicked his fingers at the carpet, which immediately rose and pulled Harry on top. Genie plopped down next to Harry, but he didn't make a dent in the material. He clicked his fingers and suddenly he was wearing an old fashioned pilot costume, complete with the googles.

"In case of emergency the exits are all around us," Genie said monotonously, "in case of a fire…well, jump. Better get smashed to little pieces than burn to death," he smiled sweetly at Harry, "and now, let me show you the true power of a Genie!"

And suddenly the carpet was up in the air, zooming through the air, right towards the roof. Harry's hair was pulled away from his face, and his hands gripped the edges of the carpet. He suddenly felt unstable and really not safe, but Genie was laughing freely next to him and Harry hoped that if something happened the boy would save him.

"We're outta hereee!" Genie yelled happily, and the carpet broke through the roof, and was out into the night air as if by…well, magic. Harry's lungs filled with fresh air, and he watched as the carpet sped towards Godrick Hollow, clouds billowing past Harry's face, cold wind tugging at his clothes. He couldn't believe this.

Ginny sat on her throne with her head in her hands, trying to get her breathing under control. Her six brothers sat in their thrones down the length of the hall, with her parents at the head. Quirrel, Arthur Weasley's consultant, stood in front of the royal family.

"Quirrel," Arthur said tiredly, reaching for his wives hand, "you're lucky you are my most trusted advisor. We do not have the death penalty in Godrick's Hollow, and what you did was an outrage. However I will pardon you this time, if this is to repeat itself-"

"Father!" Ginny jumped to her feet, "You can't just let him go! He killed _Harry_!"

"She's right!" Charlie, her eldest brother agreed.

"Well if Ginny didn't sneak off to mingle with the peasants," Percy said cruelly, "then this whole mess wouldn't have happened."

"Silence!" Molly Weasley demanded, "silence all of you! Enough! Let's put this behind us, Quirrel? Ginny?"

"M-My deepest a-apologies p-princess."

Quirrel bowed in front of Ginny and took her hand in his as if to kiss it, but the princess yanked it away with disgust. Charlie stared at Quirrel as if he were a leech.

"When I am king," he said, "I will have the power to get rid of you. For what you did to my sister."

"That's enough Charlie!" Arthur reprimanded his son, "and now Ginevra, back to the suitor business..."

Before he could finish, Ginny got to her feet and stormed out of the room. Ronald, her youngest brother, made a pained sound at the back of his throat and chased after her. Quirrel slipped away during the commotion. He pressed a brick on the wall and a secret passage opened in the dark walls of Hogwarts. With a swish of his robes, Quirrel walked inside.

The room was filled with potions of different shapes and sizes, and a cauldron was bubbling in the middle. Quirrel angrily smashed a glass vial,

"If only we had gotten that damn stone," he hissed, unravelling his turban. The Dark Lord's face took a deep breath,

"It's your goddamn fault," he whispered insidiously, "If you haven't been too busy swearing at the boy…"

"I know, I know," Quirrel whimpered.

"And now the diamond in the rough is gone," The Dark Lord groaned, "and our last chance to get the stone with him. What do you propose we do now?"

Quirrel leaned against his desk, and rubbed his eyes, thinking. A small sack of gold glittered opposite him on the shelf.

"What if we were to marry princess Ginevra?" he asked breathlessly, the idea hitting him.

"What?" the Dark Lord spat.

"Listen master!" Quirrel said, excitement bubbling in his voice, "If we were to marry Ginevra you'd be king!"

"Yes, yes," the Dark Lord's face lit up sinisterly, "If the six princes and the king and queen were to have an accident…"

"And Ginevra too!" Quirrel added,

"Then I would be king!" the Dark Lord hissed.

Harry stood in his loft – a place he never thought he'd see again, smirking.

"Thank you for choosing Resurrection air lines!" Genie said cheerfully, his costume disappearing in a puff of silver smoke, "see? I told you I could get you out."

"Okay, okay," Harry leaned against the wall, "So I have three wishes right?"

"Two," Genie interrupted, "you used this one up."

"Well…technically I didn't ask you to get me out of that cave," Harry shrugged. Genie's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.

"You-you…," he gasped, "You tricked me! You bloody bastard!"

Harry's smile faltered,

"Why are you like that?" he asked, "I let you out didn't I? Some gratitude maybe?"

"For what?" Genie spat,

"Because now you're free!"

Genie laughed humorously and sadness filled his grey eyes. He looked at Harry, and Genie looked so miserable that Harry wanted to reach out to comfort him.

"I'll never be free," Genie whispered, "rub the stone if you think of your first wish." Genie clapped his hands and melted into silver mist, which was sucked into the black stone. Harry stared at it for a second, and then picked it up. It pulsed gently in his hand, and Harry could almost feel Genie through it. With a sigh, the boy pocketed the stone.

Just then the door flew open and a wild looking Hermione stumbled inside. Her eyes were red rimmed and widened as she saw Harry. In two steps she was by her best friend, squeezing the life out of him and crying.

"Oh Merlin, you idiot," she sobbed into his shoulder, clinging onto him, "Where were you?! Neville from downstairs said the Snatchers took you away! I thought you were dead!"

"Shh, I'm sorry," Harry wrapped his arms around the girl and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "It's a long story."

And it was a long story. It took Harry almost an hour to explain everything to Hermione. From the talk he had with Ginny, to being captured by the Snatchers and taken to the cell, to the weird old man taking him to a magical cave filled with riches. Harry told Hermione about how Ollivander betrayed him, and how he was stuck in the cave, and about the magic carpet, which was now laying peacefully on the loft's dirty floor, and about the stone. Harry said, still in awe, about Genie, the boy in the stone, and about the three wishes and about how Genie got Harry out of the cave. By the end of his story Hermione's mouth was hanging open.

"Three wishes?" she whispered in disbelief. Harry nodded,

"Harry you know what that means!" she said, face brightening up, "We could get a house and help the children and-"

"Yes I know, I know," Harry said, conflicting thoughts filling his brain. He wanted a better life for him and Hermione, but he also wanted to marry Ginny..., "We'll talk tomorrow," Harry said, "We'll get Genie up as well."

"Okay," Hermione smiled in the darkness, "I'm so glad you're back."

Hermione and Harry sat crossed legged on the floor, staring at the stone.

"So you just…rub it?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded and reached for the stone. It was warm in his hands, and he pulled his sleeve over his hand, rubbing at the smooth stone. It flew up into the air and spun, before mist stared escaping from it. In a few seconds Genie was sitting next to them, wearing a thin cotton t-shirt and pyjama bottoms. He glared at the two,

"Oh there's more," he seethed, "great."

"He's not very nice is he?" Hermione mused, "My name is Hermione, and what's your name?"

"Genie."

Hermione exchanged a look with Harry,

"Is that your real name?" She asked. Genie looked taken aback, blinking at her,

"I-um, well…no," he admitted, still looking surprised, "Nobody's ever asked about my real name…"

"Well what's your real name?" Harry asked. Genie looked at him,

"Um…it's Draco…"

Harry's heart did a little flutter that he tried desperately to ignore,

"Okay Draco," he smiled gently, "we'd like you to advise you on our wishes."

"Advise you?" Draco frowned. He looked confused,

"Yes," Hermione said, "if you could make a wish, what would it be?"

Draco snorted, and looked down,

"I don't think my wish applies to you," he said quietly. He seemed so sad that Harry once again felt the urge to reach out to him.

"Well, tell us anyway," Hermione prompted. Draco bit his lip and twisted his fingers together,

"Well…,"he whispered, "Freedom."

"You're a prisoner?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Draco shrugged one shoulder, "I'm a prisoner of the stone. It comes with the Genie job. I have the power to grant anyone's wishes, except my own," Draco angrily levitated a rock off of the floor and chucked it at the wall, "It's always just 'genie this' and 'genie that' and then thousands of years of loneliness in between. I'm so tired of it! All I want is to be my own master, to do as I please…" he trailed off, and blushed, "but never mind, this isn't about me."

"But it is!" Hermione disagreed. Harry looked at Draco,

"Hey," he said softly, "I promise you, as my final wish – I will set you free."

Draco looked at him, and Harry was surprised to see tears in his beautiful silver eyes,

"Liar," the genie said, and his voice cracked, "That's what he said a hundred years ago. And I'm still here."

"Who said it?" Harry asked. Draco shook his head and took a deep breath.

"That's none of your business, Potter," he said, voice cold, "now on with the wish."

Harry looked at Hermione, and she nodded.

"Okay, I want you to make me and 'Mione a prince and princess," Harry said, "I want you to make us rich with caravans of gold and animals and elephants and such."

Draco nodded and got up, dusting his trousers off,

"Okay." He said. He clicked his fingers and Harry and Hermione found themselves outside, on a grassy field, with Draco and the magic carpet, "Ready?" the genie asked. The two nodded. Draco whistled lowly and the wind around them picked up. Harry felt himself get pulled into the air, and heard Hermione squeal next to him. He suddenly felt dizzy, so he forced his eyes shut. He could hear commotion around him and shouting and noises, and it all became too much. Colours swirled behind his closed eyelids, explosions of fireworks, he saw shapes and faces and he could breathe-

And then it was all over.

Harry opened his eyes slowly and looked down on himself. He was wearing a silk white shirt and expensive trousers and shoes, a red cape billowed behind him and there was a feathered hat on his head. Harry turned to Hermione. His best friend was wearing a long, light blue dress, her hair done up in soft ringlets. She grinned at Harry, and then the two saw their parade. A dozen elephants, followed by many unicorns, exotic dancers and servants, snake charmers, wizards and witches, riches carried by strong men, fire breathers…even four grand dragons, they were all there, frozen in time.

"Does this suit your taste, master?" Draco asked. He was wearing a three piece suit, and was smirking. Harry stared at him for a second before he gathered himself,

"I-yes, thank you," Harry said.

"Well, let's go get your Ginny then," Hermione grinned. Draco's eyes narrowed, but he whistled lowly and the parade came to life. Music blared and laughs and shouts echoed through the street. Harry felt himself being lifted in the air, and then he and Hermione were seated on one of the hound dogs.

"This is Fluffy," Draco said, patting the hound dog's head, "He's harmless…mostly. Anyway, you sure you want this?" the genie peered at Harry. The boy hesitated,

"Of course, why wouldn't I want this?" he asked nervously. Draco shrugged, and then a smile appeared on his face as he sat down on the carpet.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN," Draco's voice boomed over the streets as if he was holding a microphone. He flew towards the front of the parade, suddenly dressed in expensive robes, like a very high up servant, "WELCOME TO YOUR CITY THE ONE AND ONLY, GREAT AND ALMIGHTY, DUDLEY AND MAFALDA DURSLEY!"

"Ew what a horrible names," Harry muttered to Hermione who snorted. Draco ignored both of them and continued shouting, as people came out of their houses to see what the commotion was about.

"THE GENEROUS AND LOVING AND _VERY_ GOOD LOOKING PRINCE," Harry blushed, scratching at his neck nervously, "IS HERE TO TAKE YOUR PRINCESS' HEART IN MARRIAGE AND UNITE THE KINGDOMS OF GODRICK HOLLOW AND GRIMMAULD!"

Draco continued to advertise Harry as their procession rolled down the streets. A crowd followed, laughing women, being entertained by the snake charmers. Men whistled as the exotic dancers circled them playfully, and children laughed gleefully, chasing the elephant and popping the bubbles that suddenly flew up in the air.

Ginny gaped at her parents in shock. Charlie and Ron and the twins were shouting loudly, telling Quirrel that he was sick and crazy and that there was no way, _no way_ , that Ginny would marry him. Bill tried to calm everyone down, and Percy just looked bored.

Quirrel looked smug for once, instead of nervous.

"If the princess has not chosen a husband by the appointed time, then the king shall choose for her," he read again, from an old dusty book. Ginny's owl, Pigwidgeon, hooted angrily at Quirrel, "I believe that after my long and loyal years of service I would be the perfect match."

"I-Quirrel," Arthur began, "perhaps it wouldn't be wise to…"

Quirrel casually tapped his wand against his hand and a barely visible green light shone out.

" _Imperio_ ," Quirrel whispered under his breath. Molly and Arthur Weasley sat up straighter on their thrones and Quirrel cleared his throat, "I am the best match there is for Ginevra, your majesties."

"Yes," Molly said emotionlessly, "You and Ginevra shall be married-"

"Mother!" Ginny exclaimed. Her parents didn't look at her, and Quirrel smirked,

"Looks like it's all set, young princess," he leered at Ginny who glared at him, "tomorrow we shall-"

Quirrel was interrupted by a commotion outside. Music filled the royal hall, along with the sound of laughter and singing.

"What the hell?" Ron muttered, striding towards the balcony. He gaped in awe at what he saw below him – a long, grand procession, weaving through the streets. Two royals sat on an elephant.

"Ginny," Ron called, "I think it's a suitor!"

Ginny's face lit up and Quirrel panicked,

"B-but…"

Ginny pushed past him towards the door and Quirrel's wand slammed into the floor. The spell was broken, and Molly and Arthur looked around in confusion.

"What is going on?" Arthur asked.

"A suitor," Charlie said, "for Ginny."

"Lovely," Molly smiled and clapped her hands, following her daughter downstairs. The princess sprinted down the staircase, missing steps. She came to a stop in front of the front door. The music and laughter of the street was muffled by the heavy oak and Ginny felt herself start sweating, her hands clamping nervously. She promised herself that she would take this one, whoever he was, just so she wouldn't be stuck with Quirrel. The servants spilled out into the hallway, followed by the Royal Family. The butlers walked up to the grand door and pushed it open.

Music filled the castle as the parade stood outside.

"D-Dragons," Charlie muttered in awe, eyes wide. Ginny searched desperately for the prince, when a small, blonde boy stepped forward, into the hallway. He cleared his throat,

"My King and Queen, I present to you the Prince and Princess of Grimmauld; Mafalda and Dudley Dursley!"

Two people stepped into the hallway. One was a girl, with luscious brown curls falling down her back. She gave a graceful curtsy to the King and Queen and smiled at the princess. The prince, bowed down,

"My King, Queen," he looked up with gleaming, familiar green eyes, "princess Ginevra."

A slow, smile spread on Ginny's lips. _A peasant! In the castle! And her parents thought he was a prince!_ The princess wanted to laugh at how stupid her parents were, but instead she just curtsied,

"Pleasure to meet you, my prince."

"Oh this is wonderful!" Queen Molly clapped her hands, "we shall have a feast at once, you two do look like you haven't been eating properly. Do they feed you in, what was it…?"

"Grimmauld," Hermione supplied quickly,

"Ah yes, do they feed you in Grimmauld? Oh no matter," the woman smiled kindly and then wrapped her arms around Harry's and Hermione's waists, gently leading them towards the dining room, "Prince Dudley and you Ginny, dear, you shall wed next week, and you princess Mafalda," Molly turned to Hermione, "you shall wed my youngest son – Ronald."

"What?" Ron squeaked, blushing. Hermione sent Harry a panicked look but he was too busy staring at Ginny to notice.

"…now, Dudley-" Arthur butted in, following behind the three with the rest of his sons,

"Oh please," a slow smile spread on Harry's lips, "call me son."

" _Call me son_?!" Draco spluttered, crossing his arms over his chest as Harry hummed happily, dancing around the room like some _girl_ , "seriously? You really are pathetic…"

"Oh shut it Malfoy," Harry hushed him, his green eyes twinkling from the light coming from the bedside lamp, "You're just jealous."

"J-Jealous!" Malfoy squeaked, face turning bright red, _did he know…_

"Jealous that I have found the love of my life, and you're stuck in some pendant," Harry said meanly, not even looking at the blonde. Something tugged at the genie's heart and he turned away. Harry was right – he was just a servant, a slave, and after Harry's three wishes were over, he'd be back in some cave, forgotten for another millennium.

"Whatever Street Rat," Draco said without any bite, "I'll be in the pendant when you decide your next wish."

Harry didn't seem to hear him as he twirled the magic carpet around the gorgeous room he was given, filled with the latest technology, a Jacuzzi and a lone pendant on the desk.

Harry couldn't sleep.

"I want to see her again," he sighed softly. He imagine a soft, pale hand in his, sparkling eyes…, "I _need_ to see her again."

Harry sat up in bed, pulled on a jacket, grabbed the carpet and the pendant, and zoomed out of his window. For a minute Harry wanted to laugh out loud, the whole world was stretched out before him, the wind was whipping his face, he felt free, he felt wonderful…unconsciously, his hand tightened on his pendant and then Draco was in front of him, bleary eyed in flannel pyjamas with his hair is disarray.

"What?!" he snapped, but Harry didn't notice his tone. He threw his arms around Draco without thinking about it, but his arms came away with nothing, as if the genie wasn't there. Something went cold inside the raven's heart when he saw the blonde's pained expression,

"I-I'm sorry Malfoy, a-are you alright?"

"Fine," Draco hissed, "now why are we up here?!" he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I wanted to see Ginny…," Harry admitted, but suddenly he didn't really want to. He wanted to make sure that his genie was okay.

The carpet landed softly in the bushes beneath Ginny's balcony. A reading light was on in her room.

"Well, what are you going to say to her?" Draco prompted, as Harry only stared at him. The raven blinked,

"Err…I don't know," Harry shrugged a shoulder and looked nervous, "I've never really…flirted with anyone before."

Draco sighed, but got more comfortable on the carpet, sitting crossed legged opposite the other boy.

"Just…say something nice…to me," Draco started, "and pretend I'm her," he added quickly, trying to hide his distaste. Harry stared at him for a second, and his gaze was so intense that Draco had to turn away, picking at the grass next to him, "well?" he asked softly, his hair hiding his blush.

"You're very…punctual?" Harry offered and winced. Draco couldn't help but let a burst of laughter escape his lungs. Harry glared at him,

"Don't laugh at me, Malfoy," he said, but he also smiled. It was good to hear the genie laugh.

"Okay, how about 'you look beautiful, Ginny,' or something like that," Draco said in between giggles. Harry stared at him again, a content smile on his face,

"You look beautiful, Draco," he whispered. Then blinked abruptly at flushed red as Draco's eyes went wide, "I-I mean G-Ginny, oh God, now you're confusing me…" he backtracked quickly. Draco sighed and clicked his fingers. A walkie-talkie and an ear piece appeared in his hand, he passed the ear piece to Harry.

"Put it in. I'll tell you what to do," he said casually. Harry quickly told his hormones to calm down at the suggestion, which could've meant something else entirely… The raven stuck the ear piece into his ear. Draco nodded, satisfied, and rolled off the carpet, "Go get her then."

Harry smiled at him and the genie even managed a weak thumbs up sign, before Harry was being raised on the carpet up to the balcony.

"Ginny!" he called.

"Harry?" the girl asked, coming out, dressed in a short black lace dress and stockings, a coy smile on her red-painted lips, "I thought you might come," she purred. Harry was completely thrown off his groove,

"I…um…," static sounded in his ear and then the impatient voice of Draco,

" _Tell her she looks nice_!" he commanded.

"You look nice!" Harry said quickly. Ginny smirked,

"You don't look so bad yourself, prince," she licked her lips. Harry felt something stir deep inside him,

" _Oh shit I think she wants to have sex with you!"_ Draco hissed into his ear.

"How about you come inside, eh?" Ginny offered, "and then we could…talk…a bit more…," Harry hadn't noticed when the girl had gotten close and now she ran a nail down his chest.

" _Harry don't-"_

The raven boy pulled out the earpiece and threw it discreetly over the balcony, and then smirked, following the princess inside.

Draco stared at the broken ear piece at his feet and glared at it, through the tears that gathered in his grey eyes. Harry was upstairs and he was about to- he didn't want to think about it, but _his_ Harry…

The carpet pressed a comforting corner to Draco's shoulder, but the boy shrugged it off,

"Goodnight, carpet," he sniffed, and then disappeared into his pendant.

Hermione found the pendant laying on the carpet by the balcony an hour later. She quickly rubbed it, summoning Draco.

"What?!" the blonde snapped, eyes rimmed in red. He took a double take when he saw Hermione, "Mione?" he asked. The girl nodded and frowned,

"Have you been crying?" she asked,

"What? N-No," Draco rubbed his eyes, "I was sleeping…"

"Okayyy…," Hermione glanced around, "Where's Harry?"

"Upstairs," Draco sniffed, looking angrily at his bare feet, "fucking _his_ princess…"

"Oh, Draco," Hermione said softly, reaching out to him,

"Don't," he pulled away, and then added more softly, "don't."

"Draco, if there's something I can do-"

"There's nothing," the boy said quickly, "but perhaps there's something that I could do for _you_. What would you like? Gold? Dresses? To end world hunger?"

Hermione nibbled on her bottom lip,

"Well…I'd like to know what Prince Weasley is like," she said suddenly. Draco grimaced,

"Alright," he offered her his hand. She tried to take it but was meant with air, her hand passing through Draco's skin. But just like that the two were teleported to the stables. Ron Weasley was sitting, still in his day clothes, on a pile of hay with a boy with crooked teeth who was brushing a horses mane.

"…I just don't know, Neville," the ginger sighed, a cat curled in his lap, "I mean she's beautiful…obviously, but I don't know anything else about her, I don't know what she's like, if she likes cats or dogs, what her favourite colour is, what her first car was…"

"Just get to know her," the other boy, Neville, lisped, "She must be wonderful. She must be a princess after all."

"Princess or not," Ron closed his eyes, "she might still hate me. You know how I am."

"Yeah," Neville snorted, "You prefer animals over people and you're horrible at cooking and basically anything needed in life, like maths. But you're a good guy Ron, a really good guy."

"Thanks, Nev."

Draco clicked his fingers. Before Hermione appeared hundreds of images – a tiny Ron crying because his parents forgot about him at the park, the boy riding his first pony, bandaging a cats tail, screaming at his older brothers, punching a boy in the street, tripping in front of the pope, blushing when he talked to a girl…

"You should get to know him," Draco said when they apparated back under Ginny's balcony. Hermione nodded, a faraway look in her eyes. Draco sighed,

"Where is that stupid four eyed idiot?" he grumbled. Hermione frowned, looking up,

"Ginny's light is off."

"Maybe…M-Maybe he's cuddling with her," Draco offered through a tight throat, "Spending the night…"

"Maybe," Hermione shrugged.

Then the sense hit Draco – something wasn't right. The carpet was gone. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and read Harry's thoughts, afraid of what he might see or feel – afraid he'd feel the love the raven had for the princess.

Instead he saw darkness, and felt fear. Harry was wrapped up in something and was being carried away.

"He's in danger!" Draco gasped. He and Hermione reached for each other at the same time, and were apparating before their fingers 'touched.'

Harry didn't even know how it happened. One second the carpet was picking him up off the balcony, and he was looking for his genie, and then suddenly there were hands. They grabbed him and pushed a bag over his head, he tried to scream but he passed out from something inside the bag. He woke up when he was being carried. The wind was whistling around him and it was cold, but Harry felt drowsy, his hands were tied, he couldn't breathe or speak or see…

The hood was pulled off of him and he came face to face with Quirrel, one of the king's men.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Harry croaked and coughed. Quirrel slowly undid his turban and then he turned around so Harry could see the back of his head. Or at least what was _meant_ to be the back of his head. Instead the raven boy was facing another face, this one less human, pale and disgusting, looking at Harry lifelessly,

"Harry Potter," It hissed, sounding like a snake.

"What do you want?" the boy yelled. The face laughed, it was all very grotesque.

"You don't know my name, but I know yours," the face laughed, "and I want something you have."

"Ginny?!" Harry exclaimed, and fought against the hands holding him, "don't you dare touch her-"

"Oh quiet!" the face snapped, "The princess if part of my plan, yes, but mostly I want the thing you _already_ have. You don't have Ginny yet – not before you marry."

"Then what do I have?" Harry asked, tired and defeated. The face laughed again. All the other men wore skeleton-masks and Harry didn't recognise them,

"You have the pendant," the thing's eyes lit up at that and Harry's heart gave a painful tug.

"Don't you dare do anything to him," he gasped, "Don't touch _my_ Draco."

Quirrel whirled around and grasped Harry's chin, leaving bruises. The boy winced,

"Where is it?!" Quirrel hissed, "Where's the pendant?!"

"I won't fucking tell you," Harry spat.

"Kill him!" the face at the back of the man's head rasped out. One of the men pointed a gun at Harry,

"No," Quirrel smiled slowly, "make it more…painful. Throw him off the cliff."

"What-"Harry started and then he was falling. His stomach came to his throat as his world flipped upside down. The wind tried to keep him up, but he was too much for it and he continued falling, the sky and the sea blurring into one. Harry's head spun, he couldn't catch his breath, he was terrified, he wanted to see Draco, make sure he was okay…

The raven plunged head first into the sea, and his whole body was engulfed in freezing icy coldness. His body went numb instantly, he fought against his restrains, but his head felt like lead, dragging him down, his lungs struggled for air but all he got was water…

 _This is how I die,_ Harry thought, _I wish I could've told Draco that he was free…I wish I could've told him that I-_

The world went dark.

"Oh God!" Hermione sobbed as she and Draco arrived, in time to see Harry's body being hurled over the cliff, "Is he dead?!" she screamed at Draco, who was staring emptily at the depths below him, "Draco! Is he dead?!"

"I don't know," the genie said numbly.

"Bring him up. Bring him up," Hermione yelled at him, "I wish for you to bring his body up."

Draco squeezed his eyes shut and snapped his fingers. A drenched, cold body of Harry appeared next to them.

"No…," Hermione whispered. Draco's eyes were still closed. Harry didn't move…

The girl began frantically pressing her hands over the boy's heart and then pushing their mouths together, forcing him to take her air, over and over and over. Draco was crying silently, so helpless, because he couldn't bring the dead back, he couldn't even touch Harry…

And then the raven suddenly spluttered out water and took a desperate gasp for air. Draco's eyes flew open, and he saw Harry gagging and clawing at his chest, sitting up. Hermione's expression brightened up.

"Oh my God, Harry you're alive!" she gasped. Draco snapped his fingers and all the pain in Harry's chest disappeared. The only thing that remained was his soaked clothes, clinging to his lithe, muscular form…Draco's thoughts betrayed him.

"Quirrel that bastard," Harry growled, voice a but hoarse. The three packed themselves onto the carpet and it took them back all the way to the palace, where after loads of hugs, Hermione finally retreated to her room, after making sure Harry was okay.

Draco and Harry awkwardly stood in their, kind of, shared room.

"Soo…thank you," the raven said, "for saving me."

Draco shrugged one shoulder,

"It was Hermione's wish."

"Still," Harry reached for the boy, but then dropped his hand, "thank you."

Draco bit his lip, blushing like mad and focusing on his feet. He couldn't stand it – the way Harry stared at him with that fiery gaze. It was meant for Ginny, he should be looking like that at his princess, not at him…

"How was it?" Draco blurted. Harry raised an eyebrow,

"What? The drowning? Pretty shit," he admitted.

"No you idiot," Draco frowned, "t-the sex."

Harry laughed,

"It was okay."

"Just okay?" Draco inquired. Harry turned his back to the blonde and pulled his damp shirt off, giving the genie a perfect view of his tanned back,

"Goodnight, Malfoy."

Ginny's plan was going perfectly. She knew that she basically had Harry around her finger, after the amazing night they had together. She would marry him, and then reveal that he was just a lowly street rat to her parents. They would have no choice but to let her wed whoever she wanted after she divorced Harry, anyone was better than a street rat…

The door to her room opened as she was pulling on her dress. Her parents came in, with weird blank expressions on their faces, followed by a gleeful Quirrel. Ginny frowned,

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Ginevra," Arthur started hollowly, "you will marry Quirrel tomorrow."

Ginny blinked at him,

"What?" she scoffed, "No way! I'm marrying Ha-Dudley!"

"He is no longer…available," Quirrel said. Ginny didn't notice the wand in his hand that was trained on her parents, "therefore you and I will marry."

"Hell no! I'm not letting my plan go to shit because of you, you horny, old bastard-"

"Who said I'm not available?" Harry asked suddenly, stepping into the room, Draco's pendant around his neck, and Hermione right behind him.

"Y-You?!" Quirrel spluttered.

"Tell them the truth, Quirrel!" Harry yelled, "you tried to murder me!"

"What?!" Quirrel laughed and turned to the King and Queen, "T-That is l-lies!"

"Lies," King Arthur nodded, "obviously lies."

"Oh for God's sake," Hermione growled, stepped towards Quirrel and snapped his wand in half. The charm broke, and as the man stared at the remains of his power on the floor, the King and Queen blinked.

"What's going on?" Queen Molly asked, confused.

"Mother!" Ginny grasped her hands, "Quirrel tried to murder H-Dudley!"

King Arthur whirled on his servant,

"Quirrel, is that right?" he asked in a hard voice.

"O-Of course not!" Quirrel put on his best puppy-dog face. The King nodded,

"Then you won't have anything against a bit of Veritaserum so we can make sure-"

"B-But your majesty, is that r-really necessary?" Quirrel asked, looking terrified.

"No buts," the Queen said. Quirrel angrily pulled off his turban and threw it at the wall. He revealed his other face to the king and queen, who gasped and stumbled back, shielding Ginny.

" _Voldemort_!" Molly hissed.

"Give me the pendant!" the face hissed, and Quirrel lurched for Harry, who stepped back just in time. Suddenly Molly pulled out a wand,

"Not my son-in-law you piece of shit!" she yelled, pointing it at Quirrel.

The two yelled spells at the same time, and Quirrel disappeared, just as Molly's spell hit the opposite wall. The room was silent, and then Ginny threw herself at Harry.

"Oh my prince," she kissed him all over his face, "you saved me!"

Harry gently pushed her away,

"Your mother saved you," he offered, smiling softly and tucking a piece of Ginny's hair behind her ear, "You should be thanking her," his other hand was protectively curled around his pendant.

"Now Harry," Arthur smiled gently, "we owe you a debt."

"They want to make me the king," Harry murmured, leaning his forearms against the balustrade of his balcony. Draco sat on the balustrade cross legged, not caring if he were to fall or not, facing Harry's room, "Bill wasn't angry. None of the boys were…well, except for Percy. But none of them wanted to be king."

"Don't you want to be king?" Draco asked, and rolled his eyes, "the might Potter even more mighty."

"What will happen to you," Harry asked, "after I free you?"

Draco shrugged and closed his eyes against the slight breeze,

"Don't worry about me. Your life is going to be great – you'll have your amazing wife and you'll be king. Hermione will always be with you, you won't ever be poor again," he opened his silver eyes, "Isn't that what you wanted."

"It is but…," Harry sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair, "will I ever see you again?"

"Why would you want to see me again you git?" Draco scoffed. Harry smirked,

"You're right I hate you, dumbass," Harry said fondly. Draco looked like he was waiting for something,

"And…?" he prompted. Harry frowned,

"And?"

"And where's the line 'Draco I wish for you to be free?'" The blonde asked, annoyed. Harry sighed again and looked away. "What?" Draco asked, "Harry what? What is it?! Are those few words too hard for you?!"

"I'm sorry, Draco. I just…I can't."

"Yes you can," Draco jumped down from the railing and stood in front of Harry. The raven was a good half a head taller than him, and it made Draco wince, "just say the damn words, Potter. You promised."

"I can't do it," Harry stepped through him, "I'm going to be king now. I need you."

"No you don't!" Draco said desperately, running up to him, "You did it! You won! You don't need me anymore!"

"Yes I do. I'll always need you," Harry said softly, and something in Draco melted.

"B-But," he whispered, "You can't do this to me."

"Come on, is spending time with me really that bad?" Harry asked, trying to lighten the mood. Draco didn't smile,

"You don't get it!" he said, "You get to spent your life with the one you love, have children, grown old, have the simple pleasures of life like eating and sleeping in a _real_ bed and making love and…and," there were tears in the genie's silver eyes, "and all I get is years of loneliness and misery where nobody can touch me or love me, and I get to watch you be happy, knowing that I _can't_. I can't be happy Harry," Draco looked at him pleadingly, "not unless you set me free!"

Harry stared at Draco, so close to tears, and it was his fault. His Draco was hurting, because of him. But he couldn't say it, the words wouldn't leave his throat.

"I'm sorry." Harry turned to go.

" _Let me go, Harry_." Draco yelled after him, but the raven slammed the door shut. Draco collapsed on the floor, sobbing like the day he found out the prize for his happiness was eternal imprisonment.

Harry was walking through the gardens, but he couldn't find a place for himself. It was meant to be so easy – get a girl, marry her, never return to the streets. Make a better life for himself and Hermione.

And then Draco came along, and ruined everything.

Harry sat with his head in his hands. _Why does he have to be so infuriating?_ He asked himself and then sighed, _because he's Draco Malfoy that's why._ He reminded himself.

Hermione came and sat next to him.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" she asked. Harry shrugged. "What is it Harry? I've never seen you this sad, not even when we were starving."

"I…I…," Harry took a deep breath, "I told Draco that I can't set him free."

"Harry-" Hermione's eyes widened.

"No." Harry snapped, "I can't. You don't understand. He can't leave, I can't do this without him. I don't think I really love Ginny, I don't want to marry her, not now. I want it to stay like this – me and you and Draco, but he wants to go," Harry was crying now, "h-he wants to l-leave me 'Mione. I-I don't want him t-to go, I-I can't s-stand him not being w-with me…"

Hermione wrapped her arms around her friend and pulled him to her. Just like all those cold nights when the two clung to each other because the winter threatened to take one of them away in its icy clutches, they now hanged onto each other in warm gardens, dressed in silk robes, with their hearts slowly shattering.

"I hate the palace." Hermione admitted, "I want to get out."

"What about Ron?" Harry asked.

"He said he'd like to come with us," Hermione blushed, "we…talked."

Harry forced a smile,

"That's great."

"And Draco?" Hermione asked.

"I think I love him," Harry whispered.

"You know what they say," Hermione said sadly, "If you love someone, let them go. If they love you too, they'll come back."

"You're right," Harry said, with that weird sense of sad happiness. He decided to break it off with Ginny first. Sure the girl was beautiful…but that was about it. After the initial excitement of meeting someone form a different background, the two didn't have much in common. And the sex was…okay. Harry knew that he didn't love the princess and he didn't want to lead her on and break her heart – he decided that telling her was best.

He knocked on the girl's door, but the only answer he got was a giggle and a sigh. Harry frowned,

"Ginny?" he asked and stepped inside. The princess gasped and covered her naked body with the sheet, a man who had been lying next to her jumped to his feet and jumped out of the balcony, climbing down. Harry stared and blinked as the ginger quickly pulled on a shirt,

"Harry, baby, it's not like that-" she started. Harry wasn't even heart broken, he was just…disgusted. He stepped away from the girl who came towards him, tears in her eyes, "Harry I didn't want to do it, he forced me to…"

She reached for him, but he just grabbed her hands and pushed her away, gently but firmly.

"I came to tell you that the wedding is off. I don't love you."

Ginny stared at him,

"What?!" she demanded, then her voice softened, "Harry don't let this…incident, get in between us, please. I love you."

"You don't love me, if you loved me you wouldn't have slept with that man," Harry said simply.

"Harry please! We can fix this!"

"There's nothing to fix," Harry said firmly, "I don't love you. I love Draco."

" _Draco?!_ " Ginny spat, "That blonde piece of shit?!"

"Don't say that about him!" Harry snapped, "I thought you'd understand."

Ginny laughed cruelly,

"You know you can never have him right? He's a genie you can't touch him, you'll have an eternity of just looking at him," she hissed, "and if you set him free, he'll leave you. You know he will. You're replacing an eternity with me for _just looking._ "

"I'd much rather look at him then have sex with you," Harry said angrily. Ginny blinked at him, "I'll take my things. And 'Mione's. Goodbye, Ginny, and no, I'm not sorry." Harry said, and turned on his heel, walking out of the room.

"No!" Ginny ran after him, but the boy strode on, "You have to help me with my plan!" At this point they were out in the garden, and the raven stopped abruptly.

"What plan?" he demanded. Ginny didn't even look guilty,

"Never mind," she said, "you're not worth it anyway-"

A loud pop sounded and Quirrel apparated in the middle of the courtyard. Ginny and Harry blinked at him,

"You!" Harry yelled, "What are you doing here?!"

Quirrel laughed, and so did the face at the back of his head. Hermione sprinted out of the castle with all the Weasley's in tow,

"Harry!" she screamed, "he has Draco!"

"What?" Harry asked, and looked at the man. Indeed, there was Draco's pendant around his neck. He stole him, "Let him go! Let him go, you bastard!" Harry demanded. Quirrel just laughed and his other face hissed,

"You think I _stole_ him? Oh no, he came with me himself, all nice and willing." He laughed again, and rubbed the pendant with his thin, pale fingers. The stone spun in the air and Harry's stomach dropped. Draco appeared in the silver mist, head hung low, hands in fists.

"Draco?" Harry asked gently, stepping towards him.

"You promised," Draco whispered, shaking with anger, "you promised to free me. You lied to me."

"Draco I'm sorry! It was in the heat of the moment, I'll free you, I promise-"

"Liar!" Draco yelled and looked up, his grey eyes stormy. Quirrel laughed again,

"He has a new master now – a master who will truly give him what he wants. He will be free, after you are all dead."

Hermione pulled Harry backwards.

"What is your wish, master?" Draco asked, not looking at Harry.

"I wish," the face spoke. Quirrel looked panicked all of a sudden, "to be rid of this mortal body and take on my true form."

"Master please no-" Quirrel whimpered. Draco clicked his fingers. Quirrel's body fell away, blood and bone and meat melting into the earth quickly. Ginny screamed and several people gasped, everyone stepped back. Standing in front of them was a pale, tall man, dressed in black robes. He didn't have a nose, only two slits on his ashy face, and snake-like eyes. His lipless mouth pulled into a smile,

"Much better," he said, and turned to the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione, "My name is Lord Voldemort, and you shall call me the dark lord. Follow me and you will be powerful, take my mark," he revealed his pale wrist, and the skull and snake tattoo there, "and no harm shall come your way. Defy me and my little genie here," Draco flinched, "will turn you into dust."

"I can't kill them," Draco protested,

"Silence!" the Dark Lord demanded and turned to the people in front of him, "Now what will be your answer?!"

Queen Molly was the first to step forward, a determined look on his face,

"Never."

She raised her wand,

" _Kill her_ ," Voldemort commanded. Draco looked at Harry pleadingly, but the Raven wouldn't meet his eye. He was staring at the ground, holding Hermione's hand comfortingly.

"I _can't_!"

"Molly Weasley," Voldemort hissed, "bow down to me!"

He swiped his hand and all of the Weasley's fell to their knees, except for Molly and Ron. The boy ran over to Hermione and pulled her behind him. Now he and Harry were protecting her,

"Mom, don't-" Ron started,

"I will never bow down to you!" the Queen spat. Voldemort tutted,

"Why does that not surprise me?" he asked, "If you won't bow down to me then you will bow down to God. Genie I wish for you to make me the one and only God!" the dark lord screamed. Draco trembled, but he couldn't say no, and with a wave of his hand, Voldemort's eyes flashed gold. Experimentally, the dark lord raised his hand and casually flicked his wrist. The castle was sent flying, up and up, until it disappeared in the atmosphere. Seconds later there was a loud crash and the earth shook. Voldemort laughed,

"What did you do?!" Harry demanded.

"Oh, nothing really," Voldemort smiled slyly, "I just broke the moon."

"You what?!" Hermione gaped at him. The warm day suddenly changed into a freezing night, and dark as well – where the moon was supposed to be, was a black hole. The world's light was snuffed out. Screams sounded from the city, the only light coming from the garden lamps.

"Beware me!" Voldemort yelled, "For here come the endless nights and the cold years. Here comes the eternity of my rule and if you don't follow me you will all die like bugs!"

Smoke filtered in from the heavens, and men appeared all around Voldemort, men in skull masks. They bowed down.

"Stop it!" Hermione screamed, "Stop it!"

Ron held her in his arms and Harry stepped forward, looking at Draco pleadingly.

"Draco, please…"

There were tears in the blonde's eyes and he was trembling,

"I'm sorry, Harry," he whispered, "I can't do anything."

"And neither can you!" Voldemort laughed at Harry. With a flick of his hand, he sent the raven boy, Hermione and Ron into the little tower that still stood in the garden. The carpet went with them, "Goodbye, irrelevant muggles!" the dark lord yelled and then the tower was sailing through the air.

The tower hit the water with a groan, and cracks appeared in its marble walls.

"Oh my God," Hermione gasped as water began to seep in. She, Harry and Ron clambered out of the little window and got up on top of it.

"What now!?" Ron asked desperately. The tower was slowly sinking into the dark depths of the water. The trio could barely see anything, the only light coming from the stars that still flickered in the sky.

"I-I don't know," Harry whispered, "This is my fault, if I had set him free…"

"This isn't the time," Hermione snapped, "how do we get out of here?!"

"W-What's that?" Ron asked, pointing. A wave of…dark, was coming their way, slowly forming.

"A tsunami," Hermione's mouth went dry, "there is a tsunami heading for Britain, because the earth had lost its sense of gravity, the moon is gone and…"

"Oh God! What now?!" Harry buried his face in his hands. He didn't care about the stupid wave or stupid Britain, as selfish as it sounded, he only cared about _his_ Draco. Something soft rubbed against his arm. Harry looked up and his face brightened,

"Carpet!" he exclaimed. The carpet flew up happily, "Guys! Come on! We have to go and save Draco!" he clambered on.

"And my family!" Ron agreed and pulled himself up. The two offered their hands to Hermione and pulled her upwards,

"And warn people about the wave!" she added.

"That too." Harry and Ron said at the same time, and grinned at each other. They all hanged onto each other as the carpet sped up, and the tower disappeared beneath the waves.

The Weasley's were stuck in the cold, dark dungeons, shackled to the walls, not saying a word, when Draco appeared.

"I'm so sorry!" he said. Ginny looked at him in disgust,

"This is your fault," she said with venom. Molly glared at her and then looked softly at Draco,

"It's not your fault, dear. You just made a bad decision, but no matter now," she said, "tell us how we can fix this."

Draco ran a hand through his hair with desperation,

"There's no way to fix this," he gasped, "the only way…it would be if someone took the pendant back, and wished it all away. But with Voldemort as God…there is no way," he looked at the Weasley's pleadingly, "I'm so sorry."

"Maybe if-" Draco started, but then he disappeared, and appeared in front of Voldemort. He was at the head of a large table, where all of his followers, that he called 'Deatheaters' sat.

"Master," Draco said hollowly.

"What were you doing?" Voldemort demanded, and then smiled before Draco could reply, "Don't bother answering. I am God. I am all-knowing. You were talking to those Weasley's."

"I-I meant no harm, Master…"

"Don't lie to me!" with a swipe of his hand, an invisible hand somehow managed to struck Draco. The boy, who hadn't felt touch in thousands of years, was thrown backwards, awestruck and horrified. A red mark bloomed on his pale cheek, "If you ever lie to me again, I swear I will find a way to kill you," he hissed. Draco scrambled to his feet, his hand touching his cheek gently.

"Y-Yes master," he stuttered, bowed, and disappeared.

He appeared in a room and cast a spell under his breath, to prevent even Voldemort from sensing him out. He didn't have the power to bring Harry back, and tears welled up in his eyes. The boy was probably dead now, because of him. Draco started crying, curling up against the wall, a hand on his stinging cheek. The first time someone touched him, and it was to mock and hurt him.

Something fell in through the window and Draco's head snapped up. Harry, Ron, Hermione and the Carpet landed on the floor in a tangled heap.

"Ron get your fucking elbow out of my ribs!" Harry grumbled.

"Harry!?" Draco stumbled to his feet.

"Hi," Harry offered him a weak smile, and brushed himself off as Ron and Hermione struggled to their feet.

"How did you-"

"Carpet," Harry said simply, suddenly looking away from Draco. He was angry, the blonde could tell, he couldn't even look at him and it fucking _hurt,_ "Let's go beat Voldemort."

"You can't!" Draco protested, standing in front of the doors, "He'll kill you. You can't beat him."

Harry stood in front of the blonde, face emotionless.

"Move, _Malfoy_."

"No," Draco said stubbornly. Harry stepped through him and opened the door, leaving. Draco stood there with a pained expression, hand involuntarily coming to his heart. Hermione looked at him gently,

"We have to try," she said, "at least try."

Draco let them through.

Harry stormed into the room, Ron and Hermione in tow. All the Deatheaters jumped to their feet, and Voldemort calmly stood up.

"Didn't die did you?" he seethed, "thought as much. But the fun is about to begin." He smiled, "kill them," he commanded his followers.

The Deatheaters stormed forward, wands in tow. Harry, Ron and Hermione backed up and Voldemort laughed.

"Can't have you fighting with nothing, can we?" Wands appeared in each of the human's hands. Harry stared at his quizzically.

"What now?" Ron asked Hermione, staring at his.

"DUCK!" Hermione yelled, jumping sideways behind a marble statue of Voldemort, Ron and Harry following just as red and green curses began to fly. Hermione peeked from behind the statue, and quickly hid again, the side of her face singed, breathing hard.

"Do you guys know any spells?"

Ron and Harry shook their heads. Marble Voldemort's arm broke off and hit the floor, smashing into a million pieces. Draco materialised in front of the trio, he looked at Hermione,

"Expelliarmus," he said. Without a word Hermione peeked out from behind the statue and repeated the word. A wand hit the floor, barely hearable over the havoc in the room. Ron followed in Hermione's footsteps and said the spell,

"Alarte Ascendare. Bombarda Maxima," Harry repeated this spell and a whole wall was blown out by a sudden explosion, taking a few Deatheaters with it, "Sectumsempra, stupefy, ventus duo," the blonde genie continued firing off charms, and the trio repeated them, over and over, until the room fell eerily silent. Harry, Ron and Hermione peeked out from behind the statue. Dust and smoke covered the remains of the marble floor, two of the walls were gone, so was the table. Bodies lay among the rubble. Voldemort was the only one still standing, his black cloak immaculate. He started clapping slowly, the sound echoing back at the teens who slowly came out,

"Bravo," Voldemort cackled.

"You knew they were going to die!" Hermione screamed, "You knew they wouldn't make it and yet you sent them off to be killed! Why?! WHY?!"

"Why?" Voldemort laughed coldly, "for my entertainment. You're right, I did know they would die, I am the most powerful, after all."

"No you're not." Harry said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him.

"What?" The Dark Lord hissed.

"You're not the most powerful," Harry said, looking right at him, "Draco is more powerful than you."

A slow, terrifying smile appeared on Voldemort's face.

"You are right, Harry Potter," he said, "He is more powerful than me," Voldemort turned to the Draco, who backed away fearfully, "Genie. My final wish is for you to make me the most powerful genie of all time."

Draco bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. A mighty bang sounded and then a whirlwind surrounded Voldemort. And he grew. He broke through the ceiling and continued growing, his skin turned green, his eyes red, his tounge became forked. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco ran outside and watched Voldemort tower over them and laugh and laugh and laugh.

"What now?" The Dark Lord called, "I am the most powerful. You are just ants, ants I can squeeze!"

"You're forgetting something!" Harry smirked. Voldemort frowned,

"What? What am I forgetting?" he hissed.

"Now you're a genie. And I am your master," Harry picked up the notebook that Voldemort came from. The genie's eyes widened, "I have a wish, genie."

Voldemort's eyes widened and Harry smiled,

"I want you to disappear, die, I want you to destroy yourself."

"What! B-But-" a screech came from Voldemort as he began clawing at his face, and he melted into dark fog, taking off into the distance. Black blood sipped out of the notebook, and just like that, it was over.

Silence settled over the four teenagers.

"What now?" Hermione breathed in the cold, night air. It was dark, a faint glow coming from Draco. Harry was tired of that question – _What now? What now? What now?_ He didn't know. The world was destroyed around him.

Hermione came up close to Draco, and took a deep breath,

"Draco," she said softly, "as my last wish I want you to fix the palace and the city and the world, I want you to return the moon. I want everything to stand the way it was before."

"Yes, Mistress," Draco whispered and clapped his hands. The sun rose in the sky and then began its slow descent, as if time didn't stop. The moon slowly appeared high above them, the palace rebuilt itself, brick by brick, and so did the city. In the matter of seconds it was as if Voldemort never got a hold of the pendant.

Harry picked it up from the grass and held it in his hand. Ron spun Hermione around and the two laughed,

"Come on, we need to free your family!" the girl laughed and pulled Ron along. They ran into the new palace, and Harry and Draco were left in the courtyard alone, with the sun setting.

Harry turned the pendant in his hand.

"I'm sorry," Draco choked out. Hugging himself. To his surprise Harry looked at him softly,

"It was my fault. I freed you."

Draco shrugged one shoulder, looking at the palace,

"Whatever. It's your wish."

"What happened to your cheek?" Harry asked gently. Draco subconsciously reached up and touched it with his hand,

"It doesn't matter," he said quickly. There were tears in his silver eyes and Harry knew that the genie didn't want him to see them, "Y-You should say your wish now. I want to go to sleep."

Harry stepped closer to Draco. The blonde blinked at him, surprised. Harry leaned forward, hand hovering inches from Draco's, lips close to his ear.

"I wish for you to be free, Draco," he whispered. Draco froze,

"W-What?" he stuttered. Harry pulled away, and he was smiling,

"You're free." He said again, and took Draco's hands in his own, intertwining his fingers. Their first touch was electrifying, Draco's hands were cold and small in Harry's. The ex-genie stared at them for a second, so real, so warm, and they were really touching him and _he could feel._

The Pendant lay broken on the floor, forgotten. Draco's silver eyes were wide as he hesitantly reached up to curl his hand into the dirty fabric of Harry's shirt. It was soft against his hand. Then he reached up and touched Harry's cheek with the tips of his fingers. He brushed some dirt from the raven's skin, and without warning launched himself at the boy, wrapping his arms around the boy's shoulders. Harry caught him easily and pulled him near, one arm wrapped around the blonde's waist the other resting on his upper back.

Draco _broke._ He started crying out all the pain and suffering he endured over all his years, the loneliness, the helplessness. He cried for all the wishes that came true. All of the wishes that came true except his, all the people that fell in love except him. But now it was different. Now he was free, his one true wish came to life, and the boy he was in love with had him in his arms, and Draco was currently soaking up his shirt with tears.

"Gosh, I'm s-sorry," the blonde muttered, embarrassed, and stepped away from Harry, sliding away from his embrace, and wiping his tears angrily on his sleeve. Harry gently rested his hands on Draco's hips and then he leaned down and pressed their lips together.

Draco was so startled that his eyes went wide and his heartbeat sped up, but after the initial shock, his eyelids fluttered shut but his heartbeat was still through the roof because Harry was kissing him. He was really kissing him, and Draco was fucking hopeless and he didn't know what to do. Harry gently pulled away, looking at Draco and smiling softly,

"Hey it's okay," he said, pulling the blonde a little bit closer. He pressed a soft kiss to Draco's jaw and then lower and lower, peppering his suddenly heated skin with feather light kisses. When Draco gasped Harry pulled back up and captured his lips again. This time Draco willed himself to relax and let one of his hands rest on Harry's cheek, the other curling into his shirt. Harry smiled into the kiss and nibbled on Draco's lower lip, the ex-genie gasped again and Harry took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. And Draco _melted_ against him, moaning quietly as he felt his every nerve catch fire. His arms slid from their places in favour of wrapping around Harry's neck, pulling him impossibly closer. The blonde mewled into the raven's hot mouth, hands sliding into his hair.

When the two finally pulled apart, the sun had disappeared and the moon was shining down on them along with the stars. Celebration took place down in the city, bright with lights and loud with music. The castle was also ablaze, laughter escaping through the windows, but nobody disturbed Harry or Draco.

The blonde looked away from Harry, shyly, flushed red, his lips swollen, eyes glazed. Harry gently took his chin in his strong hand and turned Draco to face him.

"I love you."

Draco ducked his head, cheeks heating up even more but Harry forced him to look at him again.

"Draco I love you," he repeated softly, "and I'm sorry I made you hurt."

"Harry, don't-" Draco tried to pull away but Harry had a strong hold on him.

"I love you. I love you. I love you." He said again, punctuating each word with a kiss to Draco's lips. The boy was too dazed to do much more than to cling onto Harry.

"I-I j-just…," he started, "I love you t-too." Draco's voice cracked. Everything was a sudden, though not unpleasant, assault on his senses. After so many years his body was burning with desire and he was scared he'd catch fire, and all of these confessions were making the blonde's stomach flip and his heartbeat speed up…

Harry could sense Draco's fear and uncertainty. He took the blonde's hand in his and gently kissed it, causing Draco to blush again.

"It's okay. I'll take care of you, we don't have to do anything," Harry whispered, "we can go check up on everyone and…and I don't know." The raven shrugged. Draco had a sudden impulse to kiss him, so he did. When their lips met, a shock of electricity passed through Draco, followed quickly by a shiver. Harry rested their foreheads together.

"I'm cold," Draco said suddenly. Harry frowned,

"Do you want to go inside?"

The blonde let out a carefree laugh that filled Harry's heart with warmth.

"No. But… _I'm cold,_ " Draco tried to explain, "for the first time since I can remember – I'm cold."

Harry smiled and brushed his fingers against Draco's lips. Then he pulled off his hoodie and wrapped it around the small blonde,

"Well I don't want you to freeze," he took his hand, "come on."

The raven led the blonde to the wall overlooking the city. Harry sat on it, letting his feet dangle over the edge, and pulled Draco onto his lap. The boy barely weighted a thing. Harry kissed his temple and wrapped his arms around his waist,

"I love you." He said again.


End file.
